Vertical axis wind turbines (VAWTs) have been the subject of increasing interest over the past decade due to their ability to fit well within urban and other offshore areas. When traditional VAWTs are placed in low wind speed and high turbulence environments, it is difficult to achieve high efficiency, where efficiency can be defined as a ratio between power output and latent energy of the wind. Accordingly, there is a need for a high efficiency VAWT that is capable of operating in low wind speed and high turbulence environments.